


cuz she's beautiful and sweet; complex and mysterious (and mildly delirious)

by constanted



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Episode: c02e096 Family Shatters, F/F, Girls Kissing, Height Differences, Lawful Good, Typical Clay Family Judginess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23094391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/constanted/pseuds/constanted
Summary: Reanminere smiles, her expression bright. Maybe it’s the halo, but. Well. Calliope would like to believe that it’s her own doing. She’s a charming person. She can charm this very beautiful and powerful druid that has apparently helpedCaduceusof all people fight adragon, and--well. Presumably, Reanminere did a lot of heavy lifting in there. Probably Beauregard and Yasha, too, maybe the half-orc Stone. And probably the human man (the wizard?) and the goblin, maybe even cute-Jester, because she’s a powerful cleric, it seems. But Reanminere almost definitely did most of the lifting.(Why is Calliope so interested in impressing one of her brother’s friends? Who even is she, anymore? Maybe his whole identity crisis thing runs in the family? Gross.)
Relationships: Calliope Clay/Reanminere "Reani", implied Fjord/Caduceus Clay, mentioned Beauregard Lionett/Reanminere "Reani"
Comments: 27
Kudos: 178





	cuz she's beautiful and sweet; complex and mysterious (and mildly delirious)

**Author's Note:**

> calliope clay could hypothetically be three full feet taller than reani send tweet  
> title from "admire the architecture" by the scary jokes

Caduceus’ friend is certainly… Caduceus’ friend. She’s tiny and a little bit terrifying, but she’s polite and clearly talking Caduceus up to impress everyone. Talking about him reforging an ancient sword, or magically motivating and helping the whole group with just the power of “a really positive and super nice speech!”

She’s also, Calliope thinks, a very beautiful woman. How _Caduceus_ of all people has come across so many of those, she’s not sure. So she asks, when the two of them take watch together. “How did you meet my brother, anyway? Be honest with me, I know the kid.”

“Oh!” and Reanminere smiles, “Did I not explain that? The Nein--his friends, you know. You met them! Um, they were talking to my friend Umi, he’s a really talented blacksmith, and I’d been having visions about a dragon. And then, they brought up--to Umi. I was listening in, because I wanted to make sure Umi was safe. But they talked about needing to find a dragon, and, like--it totally worked out! So we went on a quest to find this dragon and get it to breathe on metal for us but we had to trick it; it was a lot.”

Calliope looks at Reanminere’s face, and cannot read her. Enigmatic, too, Caduceus’ friends. 

A dragon feels a little bit _too_ ridiculous to be made up, though. Like, you don’t just claim “We fought a dragon” and expect it not to be questioned.

“A… _really_? A _dragon_.”

“He didn’t tell you? Yeah, it was _really_ fun, and also terrifying? I almost died. So did Beau.”

“Beau is… the sort of… very attractive, mysterious human... librarian? Right?”

“ _So_ attractive.” And Reanminere suddenly has a look of fondness. Oh.

“Are you two… together, then?”

“Oh, it was--” Reanminere makes a gesture, vague. “It was a hookup. You know. I’d--any day, I’d do it again, she’s _amazing_ , but, um. Nothing committed,” and she smiles at the ground, a soft look in her eyes. Her _really, really_ beautiful eyes. “What about you? I know you were a statue for ten years, or--I’m not really clear on all the details, and--you don’t need to tell me! So long as it wasn’t for, like, purposeful, nefarious reasons, I don’t need to know. But, um. Do _you-_ have-a-girlfriend-or-partner-I-don’t-know-you’re- _very_ -cool-and-strong.” Her words blur together, sleetstorm-fast. It’s cute. It’s nice. It’s _lovely_.

“No,” Calliope says, trying to slow down the pace just a bit, “Nah, other than… a couple, er. Hookups? Flings?” (she assumes they mean the same thing; short term? She’ll have to figure that out later) “On supply runs and pilgrimages with--well. Lovely women much like yourself, I don’t have too much in the realm of experience. I got out more than my brother, of course, but, well. Home was a bit of an unpromising place for intimacy.”

Reanminere smiles, her expression bright. Maybe it’s the halo, but. Well. Calliope would like to believe that it’s her own doing. She’s a charming person. She can charm this very beautiful and powerful druid that has apparently helped _Caduceus_ of all people fight a _dragon_ , and--well. Presumably, Reanminere did a lot of heavy lifting in there. Probably Beauregard and Yasha, too, maybe the half-orc Stone. And probably the human man (the wizard?) and the goblin, maybe even cute-Jester, because she’s a powerful cleric, it seems. But Reanminere almost definitely did most of the lifting.

(Why is Calliope so interested in _impressing_ one of her brother’s friends? Who even is she, anymore? Maybe his whole identity crisis thing runs in the family? Gross.)

“Well. I don’t know, I assumed you and he had sorta similar life experiences? And he and his boyfriend seemed pretty close.”

Calliope squints. “He didn’t mention a boyfriend.”

“Fjord? The hot green guy? I mean. They were all hot, and two of them were green, but Fjord was the green _guy_ . They were always making lovey-dovey faces at each other, and they kept sneaking off in the caves to _Commune_ , and Pinky was always really complimentary of him.”

Makes sense. At least the man seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. Not a troublemaker like the others.

“That piece of-- _ugh_. He never tells anyone _anything_.”

“He seemed pretty honest to me,” Reanminere shrugs. Tilts her head, makes eye contact. It must strain her neck a bit. “You seem honest, too.”

“I’m a paladin. That’s kind of our _thing_ ,” and Calliope smirks, snorts. “We destroy the unnatural and we support nature. And. Well. Nature’s not a liar.”

“I do that _too_! Except, kinda more, like, I destroy evil and I support good. But, like--nature’s good, soooo.”

“Not always? I wouldn’t say nature’s always good. No, nah, that’s… uh.”

“No, nature’s _pretty_ fuckin’ good, I think.” Insistently. And some part of Calliope is _fascinated,_ but also, a little bit unwilling to have this argument in the middle of the night. Especially because Caduceus’s friends kept making jokes about Reanminere murdering people.

“Sure,” she says. Better than arguing. And it goes quiet, for a little, Reanminere snacking on something from her satchel. After a few moments, Reanminere says, “Hey, Cal? You want some granola?”

Calliope takes it. Chews it; it’s a bit sweet. Regardless: “Thanks, Miss Reanminere.”

“Aw, it’s just _Reani_. No need to be so formal,” Back to rushed words, in some kind of half-whisper, she adds, _“If you’d rather I call you Calliope instead of something else, I can do that, though."_

“Nah, the, um. Nicknames? They’re good; make me smile. Reani,” she says, “That’s good, too.” Reani-Reani-Reani. Reani, who fights dragons; Reani, who manages to get a laugh out ot even _Colton;_ Reani, whose.

Whose (terribly small) hand is on Calliope’s knee.

Nice.

“Your hair’s so _bright_ ,” she says. Uses her other hand, reaches up and tucks a little flower behind Calliope’s ear. She had made Bell a flower crown (which became a mushroom crown, because Bell is Bell) yesterday. She hands out flowers, constantly; Calliope cannot figure out _why_. But it’s cute. It’s endearing. “Is it dye, or is it natural?”

“Dye. It’s the, uh, the pink lichens that grow in the Savalirwood. I think, when I get home, I’ll switch to purple.”

“Oh, purple would suit you. I mean. Pink suits you too; anything would suit you. But. Um. Okay. Yeah. You’re just. Very pretty.”

“Thank you?” Calliope says. “You’re beautiful, too, you know.”

“Aw, thanks,” Reani smiles, “Do you wanna kiss? I just--cut to the chase. Or whatever.”

Okay, Calliope likes her. Officially. Gets down to business and everything, barely even weird, in terms of her brothers’ friends.

“Sure,” Calliope says, eyebrows raised and hands awkward. “I should--I’ll bend down, let’s, uh--” and she sits on the ground while Reani stays on a stump, and she just--kisses her. It’s warm and too-sweet and soft and _delightful_. Like those little cakes she’d given out, this afternoon, the ones Jester and Caduceus had spoken so highly of. Reani breaks to breathe, has this glow in her eyes like she’s made of light. Celestials are _weird_. Calliope _loves_ it. “You’re good at that."

“I try.”

“You succeed.”

And Calliope goes for another kiss, and Reani reciprocates; stands up and gestures for Calliope to do the same, and then jumps up to latch herself, ivy-like, around Calliope’s torso. Which is a pretty smart workaround, actually. There’s a lot of work going into it; it’s an almost exhausting workout of the tongue. Which is a thought Calliope would never like to have again; she’s kissing Caduceus’ weird friends and they’re turning her weird. It’s like a disease. But, also. It’s a really, really amazing kiss. So it’s okay. They break again, and Reani laughs, a sweet, musical thing. She’s like ivy, and she’s like songbirds, and she’s like magic. And she has kind of a confusing sense of morals. But that’s forgivable. Probably. 

“You’re really strong.”

“Yeah,” and Calliope kisses her neck, gentle at first, then a bit sharper, “You like this?”

Reani sighs, a little bit dreamily, and, cheery, “Yeah, yeah, I _really_ do; you said you _weren’t_ experienced?”

“Not _very_ experienced. And I have manners,” a little nibble. “Still know how to treat a lady.”

“Seems like it.”

The campfire, yards away, crackles.

Watch is almost up.

“We’ll continue tomorrow?” she asks.

“Definitely.”

Reani hops down, strikes a pose and Calliope chuckles as she bursts into giggles, wraps a (still so small!) arm around Calliope’s waist and hugs her.

“We got weeks to continue,” Reani says. “If you want.” She winks.

Calliope feels herself blushing, but she grins, says, “I’d really love that.”

“I’d really love it, too!”

(Calliope’s brain makes the noise that Caduceus’ flute makes, and she can’t even argue with it. It’s absolutely correct, and it’s probably the smartest emotion she can have right now. She wraps her arm around Reani’s shoulders, and they stroll closer to camp. The moon is bright, barely even blockaded by trees, and, well. Maybe Calliope can be made of light, too.)

**Author's Note:**

> i love wamen. this started out as a joke ship but i am suddenly so endeared. i love lawful good assholes. so much. they are the best and worst all at once.
> 
> (also i rolled stats for calliope. she's a level 8 firbolg paladin, oath of the ancients, acolyte background. she has 20STR, 12DEX, 16CON, 10INT, 9WIS, and 16CHA. she is proficient in athletics, insight, intimidation, and religion, and i am in love with her.)
> 
> @yahooanswer on tumblr
> 
> comment & kudo, please!


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